Travolta takes bad guy role

John Travolta is taking a break from playing good guys on screen and is signing on to play the villain in The Punisher, a film based one of Marvel Comics’ most popular titles.

He will portray Howard Saint, a former underworld figure who goes straight but returns to old habits after his son is slain, reports Daily Variety. The climax of the film will be a showdown between The Punisher, played by relative unknown Thomas Jane, and Saint.

“We spent a lot of time discussing the role and the things John would bring to make the villain unique,” said Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad, who is co-producing the film.

“That proved to be the great attraction. John is a great endorsement for the comic, which has been a big property for Marvel.”

The Punisher is the tale of an FBI undercover agent who, just as he completes his last mission, sees his family slaughtered. He becomes single-mindedly determined to exact revenge.

The Punisher is the latest in a series of Marvel comic book characters to transfer to the big screen, following X-Men, Spider-Man, Blade and The Hulk.